Chapter 114

Even when looking at the same sunset, some feel romance, while others feel dread. But there are sunsets where anyone who sees them realizes their life is in danger.

A sunset thick with killing intent sliced through the solar sphere fired by the Phoenix. It cut it into pieces, then extinguished the half-sliced sun.

The blackened form of the sun slowly fell to the ground, and the light of the sunset disappeared. But this was just the beginning. Roka charged forward without stopping, and the red sunset seeped into the Moonlight Blade, igniting it.

-…Gurgle?

The Phoenix hesitated for a moment. It stared at the Moonlight Blade with confused eyes.

With its big head, it thought that strike was nothing more than a desperate struggle of a small monkey. Like all desperate struggles, it would ultimately be meaningless flailing.

So, it wanted to confidently take the hit and watch the monkey’s despairing expression, but something kept blocking its thoughts. Something unrelated to thought. Something only felt when thought closed its eyes.

Sometimes, it offered insights superior to the knowledge accumulated in its head. It always pointed the way forward in times of crisis. That was it.

Truly, it was an unfamiliar sensation.

The Phoenix’s survival instinct rang an alarm. This big creature had been as large as a tiger since hatching. From then until now, it had rarely felt the threat of survival.

Since hatching, its master, Grimudo, was more like a parent than an enemy. Even now, the Phoenix acted coyly towards its master.

So, the Demon King had no reason to threaten the Phoenix. Since he didn’t, no one else could. This sensation was truly unfamiliar. The long-unused, rusted survival instinct shone brightly at this moment.

Whoosh!

Dodging the approaching sunset, the Phoenix stepped back. Where the blade passed, the sky’s color was erased, leaving only the red, burning sunset. Roka’s eyes, too, were now submerged in the sunset’s light, losing their original blue color. All colors flickered, leaving only the sunset.

‘If once isn’t enough, I’ll cut twice.’

The girl gripping the blade again had coldly glowing eyes. The sunset on the blade was red but not warm, giving off a strangely cool feeling.

Seeing Roka, the Phoenix felt something akin to humiliation and screamed. It had dodged, but it didn’t know why.

-Squawk? Screech?

One of the three Masters sent by the Citadel Republic, the Frost Lord Eorin, who used Ice Techniques, delivered the final blow, severing the Phoenix’s neck. But that was half because the Phoenix allowed it.

Immortal monsters don’t die. Even if their bodies turn to dust, the dust gathers and reverts to an egg.

Deep inside this place, which humans call the Caldera Volcano, there exists something large and powerful that gives it strength. Even as an egg, it can quickly hatch by drawing power from it.

So, the Phoenix had merely died once. This birdbrain is smarter and more intelligent than one might think.

Eorin smiled brightly after delivering the final blow to the Phoenix, but upon seeing it revert to an egg, she despaired and died. The figure squirming inside the egg was cackling.

That’s the expression the Phoenix wanted to see, even going so far as to die on purpose. But now, it had unknowingly swallowed fear.

If it were a mere beast, it would have retreated without thinking about the reason for fear, but the Phoenix had something resembling intelligence. For a monster, it was quite smart.

-Squawk! Crackle!

So this time, it decided to trust its head rather than instinct. The enraged King of Monsters curled its body into a circle and spun at an unimaginable speed.

Roka calmly watched the burning wheel or fireball, her eyes filled with a deep, blood-like sunset.

‘Kill.’

That was the only thought in her mind now. Why she had to kill it was already pushed aside.

Killing intent filled her mind, leaving no room for any other thoughts. She was almost in a trance, with only the thought of killing remaining.

Anyone who stands in my way will be cut down. The eerie magical power combined with the sunset doubled its destructive force.

If Milenia, the knight under the Third Prince whom she met before coming here, saw Roka now, she would have fled in terror before even crossing swords.

The problem was, the Phoenix wasn’t the kind of opponent to be intimidated by such things.

Whoosh!

Facing the hundreds of meters of giant monster falling towards her, now truly deserving to be called the sun, Roka didn’t flinch. A crimson flash lit up, and a red killing intent condensed, exploding into a radiant light.

The Moonlight Blade screamed under the clash of powers, but its damned owner paid no heed and swung the blade.

Slickk!

Within the crimson magical power, the power of annihilation danced. The sunset light that destroyed everything split the Phoenix in half and burst out. The Moonlight Blade, imbued with that power, flew from her hand, burning fiercely. It turned red and began to melt.

The Phoenix, looking at the wound carved into its body, stared at Roka in disbelief. In truth, it was more like a falling lump of charcoal than a person.

-Squawk.

Why? How? Was it worth it?

Even as her entire body burned black and her limbs were on fire, Roka didn’t scream. Knowing it couldn’t kill her, she pushed the blade to the end.

And now, look at her falling. But Roka didn’t despair until the very end.

The Phoenix, enraged, flapped its wings and charged. It hurt. It hurt so much. It felt like the sunset’s scar was eating into its body. It felt like burning, like scorching.

It hurt so much it couldn’t hold back its scream. It had never felt such agony in its life.

It charged with ferocious killing intent. Even if left alone, Roka would soon fall to the ground. She had already lost consciousness and couldn’t stay afloat.

In this situation, colliding with the ground would mean instant death. But it couldn’t just let her die like that.

It wanted to tear her apart with its claws and beak. Since she had given it pain, it wanted to make her pay the price.

“The enemy you spoke of, was it really this guy? If you really needed power because of him, you’re the biggest fool I’ve ever seen.”

What? The sound of her lips moving was too faint to hear. Well, no need to care.

No matter what that tiny monkey said, today, she would die.

The King of Monsters charged with fire in its eyes, ready to spew flames at any moment.

Roka, falling, raised her head and stared straight at the Phoenix. There was no fear in her eyes.

-Gurgle?

Roka’s eyes were blue. But now, they were closer to the color of the sky than deep navy. As she stretched out her arm, a gust of wind came and was caught in her hand. The Moonlight Blade was far away, and she held nothing in her hand.

But a true swordsman can wield their will with a single finger, using a gust of wind as a sword to convey their intent to the heavens and earth. If one resolves to use something as a sword, there is nothing they cannot use.

The sky is my sword, the earth is my sword. A single gust of wind flowing between them cannot be an exception.

Flash.

The wind, carrying the sunset, came to meet the Phoenix. It wasn’t the sunset filled with killing intent like Roka’s. The Sunset Slash, imbued with the intent to kill, wasn’t the real thing.

Just as twisting a chicken’s neck doesn’t stop the dawn, the evening’s arrival is an inevitable natural order. The beginning and end are intertwined, and the Sunset Slash naturally guides the end.

There’s no need for malice or the intent to kill. A calm, final line without a hint of killing intent.

The Phoenix, facing its end, panicked. It hastily spread its wings to retreat. It wanted to escape anywhere, but its body wouldn’t move.

Why? The bird could understand the question immediately. It realized too late. The sunset had already cut through it, and there was no chance of recovery.

-Squawk!

The evening sunset swallowed the Phoenix, burning red and splitting the sky in half. It extinguished even the screams, burning the last flames flowing through its feathers. However, the swordsman without a master clicked her tongue.

“It’s not dead.”

That guy, really didn’t want to die, using some strange trick as insurance. Well, that’s for later. For now, there’s something more urgent.

“Stupid fool. Whether you live or die is really up to you now.”

Boom! Heron landed with a loud noise, looking at his blackened hand and sighing.

It looked like a crash, but it was a proper landing. The loud noise was due to dispersing the impact of the collision with the ground into the air.

The current Heron wasn’t the real one but a remnant left in the womb. A kind of thought left to help when advancing from Third Tier to Second Tier.

So, he just fulfilled his duty. He would guide her to enlightenment, but everything depended on Roka herself. If she gained enough enlightenment to reconstruct her body, she would live. Otherwise…

Even if she breaks through to Master, she won’t last long.

Even now, she’s barely clinging to life, borrowing magical power from all around. For someone who hasn’t even reached Master to challenge such a thing, it’s a miracle she’s still alive.

“Ah, damn it.”

Heron’s remnant scratched his head. Even his original self hadn’t foreseen this situation.

Who would have thought a mere Expert would boldly rely on a single Sunset Slash to hunt such a thing? His original mission wasn’t to fight as a mercenary for Roka.

But if this kid dies, it’s all meaningless, so he had no choice but to step in. Directly wielding the sword to annihilate that thing was also outside the expected scenario.

With the remaining power, it was uncertain if he could properly elevate Roka to the next stage. But he had to try.

Originally, Heron’s remnant was meant to dissipate once its purpose was fulfilled. Whether Roka lives or dies, it won’t last long. So, there’s nothing to fear. Just do your best.

‘Enlightenment to reconstruct the body on one’s own.’

Honestly, he thought it was hopeless. In his life, he had rarely felt so powerless.

‘…Can I give it to such a reckless and impulsive child?’

It’s truly a sigh-inducing situation, but there’s no time to hesitate. The child’s breath was getting fainter.

Whether it works or not doesn’t matter. The chance of success is close to zero, but not trying guarantees zero. If you’re going to die either way, you have to try everything.